Responsible Recycling on The Golden Mile

Presented by Minesite Recycling

Six hours drive East of Perth, the dusty goldfields of Kalgoorlie once reigned supreme at the turn of the 20th Century and became well known as a bold adventurer’s playground, where you could discover a fortune amongst the native silky pears while sifting through the faultlines of the reddened earth.

Some 120 years later, Kalgoorlie is still home to The Golden Mile and is the home of The Super Pit which is one of Australia’s largest open pit gold mines. The Golden Mile at the centre of the Kalgoorlie Goldfield, is one of the richest gold deposits in the world, producing more than 60 million ounces of gold. This is the backdrop for a new gold – the waste and recycling industry.

This is where Minesite Recycling is located, reinventing the metal waste of the mining industry, creating jobs for locals and creating an economy from what would otherwise be discarded by the companies who reap the revenue from the valuable minerals beneath the earth.

Yard photo of Minesite Recycling clean-ups. Source: Supplied.

In 2007, Matthew and Melissa Sinclair refocussed their business interests and moved their vision sideways. Matthew stepped away from a long career in the mining industry, deciding to help reduce the impact the mining industry was having on the environment and established a profitable business from recycling industry scrap. The need to reduce scrap metal, plastic, tires and oils that had been left to gather from the mining giants was increasingly evident, hence Kalgoorlie’s Golden Mile became the birthplace of Minesite Recycling Pty Ltd.

The daily list of companies using Minesite Recycling continues to grow, similarly reflected by a long list of services provided by the Minesite team including the removal of:

• General Waste
• Hydrocarbons
• Waste Oil
• Oily Water
• Wash Pad Water
• Coolant
• Rubber
• Contaminated Soil
• Cardboard
• Glass Bottles

Sam Elphick, Business Development Manager with Minesite Recycling explains, “The best part of contacting Minesite Recycling means that you only need one contractor for all waste services, we are licensed operators and we meet all the requirements of the Department of Environment and Conservation. Every requirement is fully implemented and recorded so that you know that everything Minesite Recycling does for our clients, we do ethically for the environment and community. We supply the full legal documentation on all waste.

We provide monthly payments to companies who produce a regular flow of specific waste which has market value. This payment can be used to offset the costs incurred by removal of contaminated waste such as oils, tires, plastics and hydrocarbon.

Minesite Recycling scrap steel. Source: Supplied.

It’s also important to understand the fundamental issues with waste safety and employee induction are significantly reduced, as is the cost of transporting different forms of waste. By contracting services at Minesite Recycling, all forms of waste can be removed using one truck with numerous waste combinations.
The simplicity of reducing the number of trucks travelling back and forth for various waste collection further reduces the carbon footprint and makes companies who are constantly producing various waste products more environmentally responsible.”

Minesite Recycling is a Controlled Waste Transport Carrier, ( Licence Number T00606 ), so any company who produces various chemicals as bi-products need to engage in professional removal services. This is vital to maintaining safe environmental practices. Minesite is licenced to remove:

• 2.02 Contaminated soils (Class IV or V)
• 2.05 Containers or drums contaminated with residues of a controlled waste
• 2.08 Industrial waste treatment plant sludge and residues
• 5 Paints and resins
• 5.02 Oil based paints (all options)
• 6.01 Oil interceptor waste
• 6.02 Oil/water mixtures
• 6.03 Oil sludge i.e. plate separators
• 6.04 Waste mineral oils unfit for their originally intended use
• 8.01 Engine coolants
• 13.11 Lead; lead compounds
• 13.12 Mercury
• 13.13 Metal carbonyls
• 13.14 Nickel compounds
• 13.24 Zinc compounds
• 15.04 Waste resulting from surface treatment of metals and plastics
• 15.06 Waste tires

Minesite Recycling prioritises employing residents of the communities of Kalgoorlie-Boulder and Leonora and works closely with the Waalitj Foundation to employ local participants of the Community Development Program. Community support is an important aspect of Minesite Recycling, they are committed to utilising a diverse labour workforce that could potentially be ignored in favour of DIDO/FIFO. Minesite Recycling are proud to have a 25% indigenous employment rate overall. The business is expecting to employ 15-20 people in the future expansion of the Leonora facility.

Minesite Recycling waste control with oil. Source: Supplied.

Sam adds that employing locally in Leonora is important as it means the business is keeping money in the community and provides new skills and training to the local workforce in a growth industry. This initiative aligns with the goal to develop our facility and operate for the long term.

It’s easy to see how important Minesite Recycling is to Kalgoorlie Boulder – from the local community who benefit from employment to the companies that use their services to curb the long term environmental impact. Its entrepreneurs like the Sinclairs who saw a gap in the market in 2007, the potential and necessity in recycling and waste management from many business angles. They continue to grow communities and deliver services for many Western Australian companies along the way.

The Minesite Recycling office is located in Binduli in Western Australia, operating from 7am from Monday to Saturday, contact them via the Minesite Recycling showroom to discuss what you need and they will offer the best solutions for your industry.

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